Oftentimes in the trucking industry, an occasion arises when a partial load must be transported from one point to another. When only part of the total volume of a trailer or the van portion of a truck is filled, the load is subject to shifting into the unloaded portion of the volume due to vibration, acceleration, braking and turning forces, etc. On some occasions, the shift of cargo or freight can be so great as to create an unstable load and cause the truck and/or trailer to tip.
As a result, truckers generally use load locks to secure partial loads of cargo within a trailer or van. Load locks are elongated, extendible poles which may be installed transversely (or vertically in a covered space) between the walls of an enclosure and wedged therebetween, to prevent cargo or freight from shifting past the installed load locks. Normally, a trucker will carry two or more load locks with him or her when on a trip, in order to secure such cargo loads. When the load locks are not in use, they are often stored on the exterior of the back of the cab of the tractor, particularly in the event that the truck is "deadheading" with no attached trailer.
Most truckers find it convenient to wedge their load locks between the aerodynamic cab extenders immediately behind the rear of the tractor cab, if the tractor is so equipped. While this is convenient for the trucker. the lateral force of the load locks often spreads and damages the side extenders to the point that they require repair or replacement. which is not an inexpensive consideration for the trucking company or the independent trucker. Consequently, various racks or brackets have been developed for the storage of load locks on the exterior of the rear wall of a truck tractor cab.
However. such relatively lightweight and easily portable devices are subject to being readily moved from one truck or trailer to another and as a result it can be difficult for a trucker to retain a specific set of load locks for his/her vehicle. This is not generally a serious problem if the trucking company supplies such equipment. but since such devices are readily removable from the exterior of a truck or from an open trailer and are easily transportable. they are of course subject to theft. Accordingly many, if not most, trucking companies do not supply load locks and the drivers are forced to purchase their own. Securing such devices to the exterior of a tractor cab without any locking or securing means may prevent damage to the side extenders, but leaves the load locks vulnerable to theft.
The need arises for an apparatus providing for the lockable security and storage of cargo load locks on the exterior of a vehicle. The apparatus must provide complete lockable security for one or more load locks. yet must provide easy access to the load locks without the expenditure of undue time or effort on the part of the user of the apparatus. Moreover, the apparatus must be relatively inexpensive to purchase and install, and must be adaptable to various different makes and models of trucks, or other surfaces as may be desired.